
Spooky Halloween Charcuterie Board Additions
10.28.2022 Apps & Sides
Creep it real this weekend and stun all of your guests with this to die for charcuterie board🎚 Try one or all of these spooky snacks, you’ll goblin them right up👹
Bourbon Maple Pumpkin Seeds
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 medium pumpkin (about 10 pounds)
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 large egg white
- Nonstick cooking spray, for the foil
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Coat a parchment-lined baking sheet with the olive oil.
- Cut a 10-inch circle in the top of the pumpkin and remove the top. Scrape out the pulp and seeds with a large spoon and remove to a bowl. Separate the seeds from the stringy pulp, then rinse the seeds in a colander under cold water. Shake the seeds dry; don’t blot them with paper towels–they will stick.
- Spread the seeds in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake until beginning to dry out, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put the bourbon in a small saucepan, set over high heat and cook until reduced slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the maple syrup and cook until slightly thickened and reduced to about 1/4 cup, another 3 to 5 minutes.
- Whisk the egg white in a medium bowl until foamy. Add the baked pumpkin seeds and toss until fully coated. Add the bourbon and maple mixture and toss again to coat.
- Line a clean baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the seeds on the prepared baking sheet and continue to bake until caramelized and dry, an additional 25 to 30 minutes. Cool before serving.
Pumpkin Cheese Ball
- 3 c cheese puffs (crushed)
- 1lb ricotta cheese, at room temperature
- 1lb onion and chive cream cheese
- 3 c shredded Cheddar
- 1/4 c chopped chives
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2tsp Garlic powder
- 1 bell pepper with a long stem
- Crackers, pretzels, or biscuits for serving
- Put the cheese puffs in a food processor and process until finely ground. Spread crumbs into a baking sheet.
- Combine the ricotta, cream cheese, Cheddar, chives, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix to combine.
- Mold the mixture into a ball, pressing the top of the ball with your hand to flatten it. With the tip of a butter knife, carve lines down the sides to resemble a pumpkin. -Or refrigerate overnight (or an hour or two😉) wrapped in plastic with rubberbands wrapped around. Like this👇
- Roll the cheese ball in the ground cheese puffs. Remove the entire bell pepper stem with a paring knife and put it on top of the cheeseball as the pumpkin stem. Seed and slice the bell pepper.
- Serve the cheeseball on a plate with crackers, slices of bell pepper, and whatever else you fancy🧛🎃
Fried Eyeballs… I mean Olives
- 2 c olive oil, for frying
- 1 c all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 c panko breadcrumbs
- 24 stuffed olives (about 3 cups)
- Some recommended flavors: Garlic, pepperjack, Sicilian style jalapeno, onion, pimento, blue cheese, feta, anchovy. -find any of these on the shelf near our registers!
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 lemon, zest removed in strips with a peeler
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Pour the olive oil into a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat (around 350 degrees F. if you have a thermometer handy)
- Set up a dredging station by placing the flour, egg and breadcrumbs in separate bowls. Working in batches, drop the olives into the flour and roll until evenly coated. Shake off any excess flour and place the olives into the egg. Coat the olives in the egg and lift out, allowing any excess egg to drip off. Roll the olives in the breadcrumbs until evenly coated. Set aside on a baking sheet.
- Once the oil is hot, carefully add the basil leaves and lemon peels, be aware that the oil may pop!
- Fry just until crispy, about 30 seconds. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Working in batches, fry the olives until the breadcrumbs are crunchy and the stuffing is soft, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool slightly.
- Put the olives on a serving platter and crumble the fried basil and lemon zest over top. Sprinkle with freshly cracked pepper.
Sausage mummies
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 8 sausage or brats (such as Lake Geneva Country Meats bacon, cheddar, and jalapeno pepper smoked sausage😋)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup finely grated cheese of choice (I love a good cheddar)
- Coarsely ground pepper
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 small clove garlic, grated
- Kosher salt
- Preheat the oven to 400˚. Roll out the puff pastry into a 10-inch square on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 8 strips, then cut each in half crosswise. Pat the sausages dry with a paper towel and cut each in half crosswise. Wrap a strip of puff pastry around each sausage, gently rolling the seams against a clean surface to seal.
- Arrange the wrapped sausages on a baking sheet, leaving a little space between each. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the cheese and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard and garlic in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Serve with the sausages.